Runway lighting devices



Aug. 17, 1965 G. E. BRACKETT RUNWAY LIGHTING DEVICES 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed July 9, 1962 1: F a --:|1 .u w HLm t- 3 m 9 3 IFIG.1

mvsmox [F l G. 2 GEORGE E. BRACKETT ATT'YS.

1955 G. E. BRACKETT 3,201,577

RUNWAY LIGHTING DEVICES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9, 1962 INVENTOR GEORGE E. BRACKETT MQAW ATT'YS.

1965 G. E. BRACKETT 3,201,577

RUNWAY LIGHTING DEVICES Filed July 9, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. 51%?64 [.BPAC/(ff? United States Patent 0 i 3,2{9L577 BEJNWAY LRQHTEQG BEViZQFfi George E. Braciseit, \Candia, hid-L, assignor to Basic Products Corporation, Milwaukee, Win, a corporation oi Wisconsin Filed July 9, H62, Ser. No. ZGSJQ? 1 cClaini. (Cl. 240l.2)

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 151,854, tiled November 13, 1961, now abandoned.

In airports it has been proposed to sink in the runways lighting devices which are approximately flush with the surface of the runways and which are visible lengthwise of the runways to indicate to pilots the boundaries of the runways, etc. Heretofore it has been necessary to drill wells along the runways to receive the devices and, with hard-top runways, this has been difficult and expensive. Moreover, unless the wells are accurate in depth, it is difilcult to position the devices exactly flush with the runways and to maintain them in this position. If they are too deep they are not visible and it not deep enough they form bumps in the runways and are likely to be damaged when run over by trucks and planes.

Gbjects of the present invention are to produce a runway lighting device which does not require a core drill to form a well but which can be mounted in grooves formed with an ordinary masonry saw such as used in cutting the channels for the wiring to the device, which may be postioned approximately flush with the surface of a runway accurately and easily, which remains flush when run over by heavy trucks and planes, which is self-aligning with the wire groove in the runway, which is simple and economical in construction and which is durable and reliable in use.

According to this invention the device comprises a body shaped to fit in a groove in a runway, the body having a recess in its upper side to receive a light bulb, and a thin cover over the recess, the device having an opening for the emission of light horizontally. Preferably the cover has a portion over the light bulb to obstruct light emission vertically and a depressed portion on one side of the aforesaid portion, with a shoulder between the two portions, and an opening in the shoulder for the emission of light horizontally. In the preferred embodiments the bottom of the aforesaid body has a groove extending lengthwise of the runway groove to accommodate wires laid in the bottom of the runway groove.

In a more specific aspect the device may comprise a top plate to seat on the runway with a narrow rib depending from the plate to extend into a slot in the runway, the plate having a recess to receive a light bulb, and a thin cover over the recess, the device having an opening for the emission of light horizontally. Preferably the recess is disposed over the rib and extends into the rib. in the preferred embodiment the plate has two depending ribs extending transversely of each other, the light-bulb recess being disposed over one of the ribs and extending thereinto, with screws extending through the cover and thence into the other rib for holding the cover on the aforesaid plate. The aforesaid opening for the emission of light is disposed in the cover and extends transversely of the light-bulb recess.

in another aspect the device may comprise an elongate body shaped to fit in a groove in a runway, the body having a longitudinal recess in its upper side to receive a light bulb, an elongate cover over the recess, the cover having a portion over the light bulb to obstruct light emission vertically and a depressed portion on one side of said portion, with .a shoulder between the two portions, the depressed portion sloping upwardly rrom said shoulder EEQJLSY? Patented Aug. 17, 1965 "ice lengthwise of the cover, and an opening in said shoulder for the emission of light horizontally. Preferably the body is longitudinally convex on its bottom and has recesses in its sides to prevent it from tipping. in one pre ferred embodiment the body tapers upwardly.

For the purpose of illustration typical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which the runway is indicated in broken lines and in which PEG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment with portions broken away;

P16. 2 is a section on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view with a portion broken away;

FlG. 5 is a plan View of another embodiment;

PEG. 6 is a similar view with the cover removed and the device set in a runway;

FIG. 7 is a partial section on line 77 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a section on line S8 of FIG. 7.

The particular embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 comprises a top plate It which is circular in plan and the upper side of which is crowned as shown in PEG. 3. In the crowned upper surface are two recesses 2 which are shaped as shown in FIG. 1 and which have flat horizontal bottom surfaces instead of being crowned. The top plate also has a light-bulb recess 3 containing standard terminals 4 to receive a light bulb 6. Fitting over the top plate is a cover 7 having depressed portions 8 fitting into the recesses Z and windows 9 through which light is emitted horizontally in opposite directions.

According to this invention the top plate It is provided with depending ribs or flanges 11 and 12 extending diametrically of the top plate at right angles to each other. As shown in FIGS. l and 4 the ribs extend beyond the periphcry of the top plate and as shown in FEGS. 2 and 3 the bottom surfaces of the ribs are circular in longitudinal outline so as to fit into grooves in the runway made with a masonary saw having the same radius of curvature. The bottom surfaces of the ribs have grooves 13 and 14 to accommodate the wires 16 leading to the terminals 4 through the grooves 117 in the runway 29 which extend from one lighting device to the next device. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 the light-bulb recess 3 is disposed over the rib l2 and extends into the rib. As shown in FZGS. 1 and 2 the cover is held in place by screws 13 which extend through the depressed portions 8 of the cover and thence into the rib 11.

To mount the device in a runway two saw cuts are made at right angles to each other, the cuts having substantially the same dimensions as the ribs 11 and 12. One of the cuts should be in alignment with the wireway 17. When the device is inserted into the circular grooves it is automatically aligned with the wireway 17 and is prevented frorn rotating about its axis by the ribs 11 and 12,. Moreover it is automatically set flush with the runway because the segmental portions 19 (FIG. 4-) of the top plate seat flatwise on the surface of the runway. With this construction the device can support heavy loads without being misplaced or damaged.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 comprises an elongate body 21 having in its upper side a recess 2-2 and having its bottom 23 longitudinally convex. Mounted in the recess 22 on a bar 24 is a light bulb 2d. Mounted over the recess 22 by means of screws 26 is a cover having side flanges 27, an opaque central portion 28 to obstruct the emission of light vertically, and depressed portions 29 on each side of the central portion, with shoulders El between the central and depressed portions. Each shoulder has an opening 32 through which light may be emitted horizontail the depressed portion 2% sloping upwardly from the shoulders toward the ends of device.

the device respectively. The body 21 has a longitudinal groove 33 in its bottom and vertical grooves 34 in its sides. As shown in FIG. 8 the body preferably tapers upwardly. Current-is supplied to the light through conductors 36 laid in the bottom of the wireway groove 37 and extending through the groove 33 in the bottom of the When the device is installed in the runway groove it is held in place by adhesive 38 such as epoxy resin. By virtue of the upward taper of the body and the grooves 34 the device is anchored firmly in position so as not to tip in response to a weight on either end. Preferably the groove 39 for the body 21 is wider than the wireway groove 37 and is concave from end to end as shown in PEG. 7.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and. equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A runway lighting device comprising a body having a lamp recess in its upper side, a one-piece cover for the recess, the cover extending over the entire upper surface of the body, the cover having a central portion to obstruct the emission of light vertically and, on opposite I sides of the central portion, depressed portions forming I light channels, and a shoulder between the central portion and each of said depressed portions, each shoulder having an opening through which light may be emitted horizontally through said channels, and the channels having side walls to direct the light in opposite directions, said cover extending beyond the body to seat on the runway and said body having a depending rib to extend into the runway.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 355,810 1 87 Brown 8879TX 1,267,967 5/18 Brunnworth'et a1; 1 340116" l',468,763 9/23 Temple et a1. 1,820,599 18/31 Cu shing. A 7 2,848,597 8/58 Knottnerus 240 1.2 3,015,717 1/62 Angler 240-12 3,066,217 11/62 McDonald 240-4155 X 3, 55,321 11/64 McDonald 240-12.

FOREIGN PATENTS 255,272 7/26 Great Britain. 574,982 1/46 Great Britain.

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examinen 

